Friday, November 14 was International Games Day @ Your Library. Nearly 400 Lord Tweedsmuir students joined in with students in school libraries all over the world on Friday, and public libraries on almost every continent on Saturday, to celebrate the educational power and lasting fun of games!
Thanks to the following teachers for bringing your classes in: Ms. Mason, Mr. Solari, Ms. Kim, Ms. Overgaard, Mr. Masi, Ms. Kim, and Ms. Stea.
At Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary today we have our annual assemblies to observe Remembrance Day. We honour the memory of those Canadians who have fallen in war. We do not celebrate or glorify war, but we pay respect to those that have paid the terrible costs of war.
This coming weekend will be a long weekend for students, a chance for rest and However, it is important to remember that Remembrance Day is not one of the those holidays that is just an excuse for a long weekend. Please take some time over these next few days to reflect on what Remembrance Day is all about. And on Monday, plan to take some time to honour those that have died and those that have served. Whether you attend a ceremony in person, or check out the television coverage of the ceremony in Ottawa, take some time for Remembrance.
Your School Library Learning Commons is hosting its 3rd Annual “International Games Day @ Your Library” on Friday, November 14th. All day long you can come down to celebrate the educational, recreational, and social value of all types of games. Join with thousands of people all over the world who will gathering to game in school libraries on Friday, November 14th, and in public libraries on Saturday, November 15th. Ask your teacher if your class is coming! Stay posted for more details.
It is National School Library Day, part of International School Library Month and Canadian Library Month. It is also the day for the annual DEAR Challenge: Drop Everything and Read.
Explore this site online, or visit us in person to check out the space, to find out more about why school libraries are so vital.
Diwali is celebrated by millions of people in India, Canada and around the world. Hundreds of millions of Hindus celebrate “the Festival of Lights.” People of other faiths, including Sikhism, also celebrate. For Sikhs the festival has added significance as it generally coincides with a Sikh celebration known as Bandi Chhor Divas. For more on Diwali check out:
“The historic decision to include women in the legal definition of “persons” was handed down by Canada’s highest court of appeal – the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of Great Britain – on October 18, 1929. This gave women the right to be appointed to the Senate of Canada and paved the way for women’s increased participation in public and political life.” (From Status of Women Canada: Persons Day.)
It may seem incomprehensible to us that women were not considered to be “persons”, at least under a strict definition of Canadian law prior to 1929. The “Famous Five” led the fight all the way to the highest courts of the land to include women in the legal definition of “persons.”
“The exclusion of women from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours. And to those who would ask why the word “person” should include females, the obvious answer is, why should it not?”
–Lord Sankey of the Privy Council, 1929 (source)
Today we can celebrate that victory, and the slow but steady change in Canadian society towards equality for women. We still have a long way to go, and sadly, in much the world, women are still denied equality, a “relic of days more barbarous than ours.” Persons Day is a chance to celebrate how far we have come, and to reflect on how far we still need to go.
From the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization:
The 2014 World Food Day theme – Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth” – has been chosen to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farmers. It focuses world attention on the significant role of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas.
The UN General Assembly has designated 2014 “International Year of Family Farming.” This is a strong signal that the international community recognizes the important contribution of family farmers to world food security.
For more on World Food Day, check out these links:
The United Nations has declared October 11 to be the International Day of the Girl Child. The day was first celebrated in 2012, as an opportunity to recognize the rights of girls, to raise awareness about the challenges that they face around the world, and to celebrate our daughters, sisters, friends and students. Sadly, girls around the world daily face discrimination, violence and the violation of their human rights.
The theme for 2014 is “Empowering adolescent girls: Ending the cycle of violence” – See more at the United Nations page on International Day of the Girl Child.
We can be thankful that Canada is amongst the leaders of the world in protecting the rights of girls.Yet even here there is more work to be done, and certainly we must continue to fight for the rights of girls around the world.
“Empowerment of and investment in girls are key in breaking the cycle of discrimination and violence and in promoting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights”
-United Nations Resolution 66/170
Lord Tweedsmuir students and staff are wearing purple today to show their support for World Mental Health Day. The day was established with the goal of raising awareness about Mental Health issues, to promote Mental Health initiatives, and to fight against the stigma of Mental Health problems. Find out more:
World Federation for Mental Health
Canadian Mental Health Association
Happy World Teachers’ Day! In 1994, the United Nations (UNESCO) established October 5th as World Teachers’ Day, a day to recognize and celebrate the vital role that teachers play in the lives of all people, especially children and youth.
“There is no stronger foundation for lasting peace and sustainable development than a quality education provided by well trained, valued, supported and motivated teachers.” (UNESCO)
In addition to the fact that October is ISLM (International School Library Month), October is also Canadian Library Month! As Canadians we enjoy and benefit from some of the best libraries in the world. Canadian Library Month is a chance to celebrate all of our libraries, including Public Libraries, School Libraries and more. Go to the Canadian Libary Association’s CLM page to find out more!
October is International School Library Month. All over the world, people are recognizing and celebrating the powerful role that school libraries play in education. Come on in to the School Library at LTS, and continue to check back online, for more on our local celebration of International School Library Month!
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 